Public Transport Revelution

Members of the Carrick Over 50's Forum are hoping to start a public transport revolution in Cornwall on Bastille Day.

The group, which is chaired by Judith Whiteley, is holding an event at Prince of Wales Pier in Falmouth on Wednesday, July 14, to raise awareness of public transport accessibility.

Starting at 11am the group want to meet with public transport users and managers and start talks on how sites can become more accessible in future.

"This is an issue that affects a lot of people," said Judith. "We've chosen Prince of Wales Pier as it is the perfect example. It acts as a public transport hub for buses and ferries, but how accessible is it with its steep and narrow steps, as well as a bus stop which is too small for disabled-access buses.

"Most people think of accessibility issues as affecting those who disabled or elderly, but we need to think about everyone.

"What about people with a bike, pushchair or even carrying heavy shopping, as well as those in wheel chairs or who are poorly sighted?"

Tim Light, managing director of Cornwall Ferries, which runs the St Mawes Ferry, King Harry Ferry and Park and Float is backing the campaign, said: "Anything that creates a discussion to improve accessibility on all public transport, including smaller ferries, is always welcome.

"There are no simple answers at this point in time and investment needs to be made on infrastructure, so we are happy to work alongside the Carrick Over 50's Forum and Cornwall Council to develop a strategy to ensure that public transport becomes more accessible for everyone in the future.

"This event gives us a great opportunity to discuss the issues facing users and managers of such sites."